Kim, Stephen C

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Claremont CollegesScholarship @ ClaremontCGU MFA Theses CGU Student Scholarship2-14-2012Stephen Chang Kim MFA Thesis StatementStephen C. KimClaremont Graduate UniversityThis Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the CGU Student Scholarship at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusionin CGU MFA Theses by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contactscholarship@cuc.claremont.edu.Recommended CitationKim, Stephen C., "Stephen Chang Kim MFA Thesis Statement" (2012). CGU MFA Theses. Paper 45.http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_mfatheses/45	  	  	  	  Stephen	  Chang	  Kim	  	  Final	  Review	  Date:	  	  2/14/12	  	  Committee	  Members:	  David	  Amico	  Rachel	  Lachowicz	  Ann	  Bray	  	  	  	  	  	  	  Stephen	  Chang	  Kim	  Statement	  	   My	  work	  focuses	  on	  attempts	  to	  rationalize	  the	  removal	  of	  the	  figure	  as	  it	  becomes	  a	  collision	  of	  abstract	   and	   real	  within	   the	   painting.	   	   	   The	   idea	   of	   cancellation	   using	   the	   palette	   knife	   interfaces	   an	  image	  by	  taking	  away	  the	  object	  of	  desire	  from	  being	  there.	  	   	  Viewers	  are	  then	  forced	  to	  look	  into	  the	  relational	   element	  of	  what	   is	   there,	   as	   they	  become	   inclusive	  as	   a	  participant	   in	   visualizing	  with	   their	  memories	   of	  what	   is	   present	   in	   an	   absent	   state.	   	   Something	   similar	   takes	  place	  when	  we	   read	  books	  without	  visual	  aids	  -­‐	  our	  minds	  visualize	  a	  fictitious	  reality	  where	  content	  includes	  all	  of	  our	  physical	  and	  emotional	   being.	   	   The	   empathy	   we	   feel	   closes	   the	   gap	   between	   objectivity	   and	   subjectivity.	   	   	   In	  my	  paintings,	  I	  allow	  viewers	  to	  interpret	  the	  unknown	  by	  identifying	  what	  is	  there	  and	  not	  there	  through	  investigative	  means	  of	   accessing	   their	   inner	   thoughts	   and	  perceptions	   to	   claim	  decipher	   the	   situation	  presented	  within	  the	  painting.	  At	   first	   glance,	   the	   painting	   can	   be	   seen	   as	   something	   familiar	   but	   with	   the	   absence	   of	  something	   or	   someone	   interacting.	   	   There	   is	   a	   sense	   of	   mysteriousness	   and	   isolation	   as	   it	   may	   be	  evident	  that	  the	  figure	  is	  staged	  within	  the	  environment	  without	  a	  clear	  indication	  of	  what	  the	  figure	  is	  reacting	  to.	  	  The	  person	  they	  react	  to	  can	  be	  seen	  as	  an	  abstraction	  of	  something	  as	  it	  is	  replaced	  with	  paint	  marks	   in	   the	   background	   that	  may	   not	   be	   recognizable.	   	   	   The	   environment	   sets	   the	   stage	   as	   it	  collides	  with	  the	  realism	  of	  the	  figures	  face	  and	  body	  with	  abstract	  lines	  painted	  roughly	  with	  a	  palette	  knife.	  	  The	  figures	  in	  my	  paintings	  are	  deep	  into	  their	  own	  thoughts	  and	  actions.	  	  	  	  	  	   I	  paint	  figures	  who	  are	  in	  their	  own	  private	  moments	  of	  an	  emotional	  state-­‐	  feeling	  sad,	  happy,	  or	   maybe	   both.	   	   In	   my	   paintings,	   I	   look	   into	   the	   psychologically	   precarious	   situation	   of	   a	   person	  interacting	  with	  a	  sense	  of	  absence	  of	  a	  loved	  one.	  	  I	  paint	  an	  impossible	  situation	  by	  withholding	  visual	  information	  of	  one	  of	   two	  figures	  as	  abstract	   lines	   that	  creates	   the	   impossibility	  of	  presence	   from	  the	  original	   photo	   that	   I	   began	   with.	   	   	   Absence	   causes	   a	   sense	   of	   mystery.	   	   The	   figure	   that	   is	   withheld	  becomes	  a	  powerful	  life-­‐force	  that	  questions	  the	  very	  existence	  of	  the	  one	  that	  is	  present,	  as	  it	  wants	  to	  connect	   in	  a	  world	   that	  does	  not	  want	   to	   connect.	   	   This	   struggle	   to	  belong	   in	  a	  place	  and	  connect	   to	  another	   can	   cause	   us	   to	   reflect	   on	   ourselves	   with	   our	   own	   sense	   of	   being.	   	   We	   exist	   in	   this	   world	  because	   of	   how	  we	   interact	   in	   our	   society	   and	   it’s	   that	   very	   nature	   that	  makes	   us	   who	   we	   are	   and	  validates	   our	   presence.	   	   	  When	   one	   figure	   is	  withheld	   from	   the	   other,	   the	   first	   figure	   becomes	   stuck	  between	  somewhere	  and	  nowhere.	  People	  commonly	  take	  things	  for	  granted	  when	  we	  have	  them,	  such	  as	  relationships	  to	  friends,	  family,	   relatives,	   and	   even	   animals	   or	   objects	   that	   we	   are	   emotionally	   attached	   to.	   	   Through	  disconnection	  there	  is	  connection	  as	  long	  as	  one	  remembers	  what	  is	  absent.	  	  The	  incompleteness	  of	  the	  painting	   engages	   the	   viewer	   to	   become	   participants	   in	   the	   paintings	   meaning.	   Finding	   something	  relative	  that	  connects	  the	  painting	  to	  the	  viewer	  is	  imperative	  in	  the	  creation	  of	  my	  art	  as	  memories	  are	  used	  as	  a	  tool	  to	  identify	  the	  unknown.	  My	   paintings	   question	   the	   value	   of	   human	   sentimentality	   and	   of	   the	   moments	   in	   our	  experiences	  that	  question	  the	  very	  nature	  of	  our	  being.	  	  The	  need	  to	  identify	  the	  temperament	  of	  how	  we	  see	  ourselves	  in	  society	  and	  the	  need	  to	  emotionally	  connect	  has	  been	  a	  lingering	  question	  both	  in	  and	  out	  of	  my	  studio.	  	  I	  hope	  to	  connect	  with	  the	  viewer	  and	  convey	  the	  message	  that	  absence	  of	  the	  subject	  can	  be	  a	  powerful	  thing.	  	  

Stephen Chang Kim MFA Thesis Statement

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&amp;context=cgu_mfatheses

Stephen Chang Kim MFA Thesis Statement

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